Apparatus for and actuated by gases of varying density.



J. F. SIMIVIANCE & J. ABADY.

APPARATUS FOR AND ACTUATED BY GASES 0F VARYING DENSITY.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. 25. 1912. RENEWED NOV. 27. 19I6.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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specification of Letters Patent. 7

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application filed lt'ovcmber at, 1am, serial No. raaaaal I lltenewedNovember at, 1916. herlal Jlt'o. lllltfillft.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JoHN Fnnonnron SrmMANon and'JAo nns Amer, subjectsof the King or Great Britain and Ireland, re-. siding at London,England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor and Actuated b Gases of.

Varying Density, ofwhich the ollowing is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to. apparatus for,

or actuated by, gas of varying density. The

apparatus comprises means tor weighing a definite volume of the gasagainst a suitably poised bala ce arm, spring, buoyant float, or thelike. The said arm, spring, or

. float may be made to actuate a pointer, pen

till

arm, or the'like which can be arranged to indicate or give a record ofthe specific gravity of the gas. Or the said balance arm,

spring, or float may be used to actuate a valve which in turn maycontrol the rate of outflow of the gas. Many other useful applicationsof the apparatus are possible.

Figure 1 represents diagrammatically an apparatus for indicating thedensity of gas; Fig. 2 shows a practical construction employing theprinciple diagrammaticallyillustrated in Fig. 1; Fig; 3 shows anapparatus for controlling the filow of as; and Fig. a shows amodification fort e same purpose.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically one form of the apparatus. The gas isadmitted to the cylinder 0 by the inlet pipe 1, and is discharged by thevent hole 2 at the to A piston P fitting without friction in t ecyllnder is suitably supported from a pendulum balance D, pivoted'at 3,which may be provided with a long index pointer 4: and with anadjustable counter Wei ht 5. When the cylinder 0 is filled with air thecounterweight '5 is adjusted so that the index pointer is opposite themark 1.00 of the.

scale. When the cylinder is filled with a gas of greater density thanair, the piston will be forced downward and the index pointer moved tothe right, until equilibrium is established. If the cylinder is filledwith a gas lighter than air, the piston moves upward and the indexpointer moves to the left.-. If the gas varies indensity at difl'erentintervals of time, fresh supplies of the' gas must be passed into thecylinder from time to time, for which purpose the inlet The atmosp freeto rise or fall slightly in the pipe 1 is connected to the source orsupply the gaseouspressure on the upper side of the piston F is equal tothe pressure ofthe atmosphere on the upper end Ofthe cylinder at thelevel of the vent hole 2,-plus the weight of contained in the cylinder.

erlc pressure on the under side of the piston P is equal to theatmospheric pressure on the upper end of the cylinder plus the weight ofa volume of air equal to that of the cylinder. Thus the resultant of thegaseous and atmospheric pressures on the piston which is to beequilibrated by the pendulum balance is the difference between theweights of the cylinder volume of the gas and of atmospheric air.

The delicacy of the measurements given by the apparatus depends onhaving a large volume of gas contained by the cylinder C to be weighedby the pendulum balance.

On the other hand if the cylinder C is made of large volume, not onlymay the appara- 'tus be cumbrous, but the large volume of gas inclosedat any instant would necessitate a'large rate of flow of gas through theapparatus in order that at any instant the gas in the cylinder may be atrue sample of the gas at the source of supply. Fig. 2 shows a form ofthe apparatus in which a in which only a small fraction of Such largevolume is inclosed at any instant, and which provides for thepractically frictionless gas tight movement of the piston, P. The pistonP takes the form of an inverted shallow 011p or'bell in a liquid.Instead of a cylinder of equal diameter throughout its length,

the annular vessel 9. A long dependent rod 10 and Weight 11, is attachedto the piston P, and the said rod is suspended from the pendulum balancebeam B; the. arrangement being such that the piston is constrainedlaterally without friction, and is liquid seal under the control of thependulum balance whensubjected to the pressure ofgases of varyingspecific gravity.

virtually large volume of gas is weighed, but.

avarice with the tom. The

cylinder counteract the increase of pressure at any point'in' a fluiddepth of that point below the frcesurfaceyif the piston areas in Figs. 1and 2 are equal, and if the heights of the 0' and tube 8 from the uppersurface of theirnespective pistons to the vent hole 2- are also equal,the pre$ure on the upper surface of the pistons are also Since theequal.

The a paratus may be arranged in many 'forms. or example, Fig. 3 showsone form in which the. long tube 8 is directed downward,'and the venthole is at the botas presses on the under side of the piston which dipsin the li uid seal contained in the shallow cup 7. he balance beam maynow be conveniently placed above the piston, the piston being suspendedtherefrom. But the essential features of the invention are the same, andthe two arrangements shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are only" intended to beillustrative of many possible. arrangements. For example whentheapparatus is used as a gas regulator so that the rate of flow shallnot be affected by the varying density of the gas-the movement ofthe'pistonmay be contro ed by a spring. This is shown in Fig. 3, thepistonbeing suspended'lg means of the spring 12, adjustable by e screwand nut 13.

As examples of the useful applications of the apparatus, it may beconnected .to the flue of a furnace or to a town gas main. In the formercase the varying specific gravity of the combustion product gases may beused to estimate the dioxid. In the latter case, the varying specificgravity of the town gas may be used to estimate its varying calorimetricvalue. In the case of gas for lighting or heating, the ap aratus can bemade to regulate the flow o the gas so as to approximate to any desiredresult. This is accomplished by at tachin or connecting by suitablemeans, a valve to the piston P, as shown in Fig.3, so that as theposition of the piston P is altered in density, the distance of thevalve V from its seating 6 also varies. Thus if the pressure of the gasin the main or in the inlet pipe 1 above that of the atmosphere issupposed to be constant, and the outlet area at 6 is constant, as thedensity of the gas in-' force.

ig.3) to move away from its seating 6,-

thus increasing the efi'ective outlet area. The adjustment of thevariousparts may be such that the increase of outlet area ma density of thegas; thus the apparatus-would form a regulator giving approximatelyconstant mass of gas per unit of time. When the apparatus is thus usedonly to regulate the flow how of percentage of carbon.

as the gas inside the cylinder varies necessary.

' Instead of a piston or bell dipping in a liquid seal, we may use aflexible diaphra of the type well known in connection .with aneroidbarometers and the like.

Fig. 4 shows the apparatus a plied to actuate a valve V which controlstil Igas supplied by the inlet pipe 11 and disc arged by the outlet pipe12. The said gas may be from the same source of sup 1y as the gassupplied by the inlet pi e to t e tube 8, or it may be from anindependent source. .In the former case, the apparatus can bemade togive a constant e rate of I rate of discharge of as under pressure at 1the outlet pipe 12, alt ough the density of the gas changes. Theressures of the gas at the inlet pipe 11 an outlet pipe 12 may be abovethat of the atmosphere, as in town gas supply, the suppl of the same gasto the inlet pipe to the tu e 8- should be at little or no appreciablepressure. It should be noted that the apparatus does not regulate therate of flow under varying pressures, at the main, but only regu atesthe rate of .flow under varying density of the gas. An

ordinary pressure governor can be used in conjunction with theapparatus.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. The combination with a .container for a column of gas open to theatmosphere at one elevation, of a movable gasbell subjected to thepressure of gas in said column at another elevation, and a means forcounterbalancing said ressure.

- 2. The combination of a lgas chamber having an inlet connection tcreto, an outlet from said chamber open to the atmosphere at adifl'erent elevation, a movable member subjected on one side only to thedifferential pressure of the gas difierent elevation, and means forexerting upon said movable member a counterbalancing force variable withthe displacement.

'3. The combination with a container for a volume of gas in opencommunication with the atmos here at one elevation, of a mov-' able meme1- subjected on one side only to the pressure of gas insaid containerat a different elevation, and means for counterpoising said movablemember with a variable 4. The combination. with a container for a columnof gas having open communication with the atmosphere at one elevation,of a piston having an area greater than the section of said column,

volume of gas,'o a movable member subin said chamber at a means forsubjecting. said p1ston to the pressure of said column of y gas at adlfierent elevation, and means for able meln 1,264,985 tit jected ononly one side to the pressure of gas in said contamer at one elevation,a dischar e conduit for the gas in said container to t e atmosphere,said conduit being positioned at a difierent elevation, and means forcounterbalancing said movable member.

6. The combination with means for constantly discharging gas into theatmosphere at one elevation, of a piston subjected on one side only tothe pressure of the gas at a diflFerent elevation, and a variable meansopposin f said pressure of the gas.

7. he combination with a container for a column of gas discharging intothe atmosphere at one elevation, of a movable member having an areagreater than the section of said column, able member on one side to thepressure of gas in said column at a difierent elevation, and means forcounterpoising said movable member with a force varying with position.

8. The combination with a container for a volume or as in opencommunication with the atmosg ere at one elevation, of a mover at adifierent elevation, sub- ]ected on one side to the pressure of gas inmeans for subjecting said movsaid container, the other side of saidmembebeing subjected to a substantially constant pressure, and means forcounterbalancing said movable member.

9. In an apparatus for gas of varying density, the combination with acontainer for a volume of as in open communication with the atmosp ereat one elevation, of a movable member subjected on one side to theressure of said gas, and means for counterbalancing said movable memberand for regulating the rate of flow of gas, operating upon the movementof said movable member.

10. In a" gas operated apparatus, means operated by variations in thespecific gravity of the gas passing therethrough for varying therestriction to the gas to e ect a substantially constant rate of flow ofthe gas.

In testimony whereof we afix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

Witnesses:

0. J. Woman, (3. I. LIDDON.

NOE.

